


Stormy Day

by kiebs



Category: Free!
Genre: Childhood Friends, Creepy inn, F/M, Getting Lost, M/M, Magical Realism, Makoto is a little horny, Overprotective Sousuke, Post-Canon, Pre-OVA, Pre-Poly, Pre-Relationship, Sousuke has issues expressing himself, Two Shot, scaredy cat Makoto, switching POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-21 18:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11362923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiebs/pseuds/kiebs
Summary: Getting lost is bad. Getting lost and having to stay at a creepy inn is worse. Getting lost and having to stay at a creepy inn with your girlfriend's grumpy childhood friend is the worst....or is it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been debating whether or not to post this and decided that why not? I love vaguely spooky stories and the trope of one character wearing another's jacket after a storm, so that's where this came from! So please enjoy this summery short!

Had you asked him earlier if he expected to spend the night in a tiny rundown inn that only had three rooms, Sousuke probably would have looked at you like you were crazy. Except that's exactly where he found himself that night, soaked to the bone with the Iwatobi captain and his childhood friend. 

Sousuke shivered, trying to reign in his scowl as Tachibana talked to the elderly woman behind the desk. He didn't even know how the hell this had happened. It was one thing for _him_ to get lost. He was well aware that he was shit with directions. But him, Tohru, _and_ Tachibana? All somehow getting separated from the rest in the mountains and having to rely on this shady as fuck inn? Yeah, he had no idea. 

Both Samezuka and Iwatobi had come to the mountains for some kind of friendship thing. Sousuke wasn't sure, only that Rin had used some imaginative and colorful threats to make him go. He didn't exactly want to, seeing as he wasn't the most…friendly with the Iwatobians, but he couldn't exactly refuse Rin when he got like that. The appearance of Gou and the Iwatobi team's advisor wasn't surprising, but seeing Tohru and Gou's friend had given him pause. Having four girls around didn't seem like a good idea to him, even if one was a teacher, especially considering the raging hormonal beast that was Momo, but then Rin and Tachibana had explained that they would be staying at a hotel once they got to the lake so that put Sousuke's worry to rest. 

And yet, here he, Tachibana, and Tohru were, nowhere near said hotel. It was probably because they had gotten off at the rest stop. They couldn't have been there more than ten minutes, but when they returned to where the bus had been, it was gone. 

Sousuke frowned, crossing his arms in hopes of retaining some body heat. Tachibana had had the idea to walk, claiming that since it was nice, the walk wouldn't be too bad. Honestly, Sousuke couldn't argue with that, especially after Tohru pointed out that there was another bus stop ahead. So they had decided to walk and it had gone fairly well…until the rain hit sometime in the afternoon and here they were late in the evening in some unknown inn. 

"Thank you very much," Tachibana said and Sousuke perked up as the other boy turned. The Iwatobi captain looked a little uneasy, smiling wanly. "So…there's only one room available, but we got it."

"That's not too bad," Tohru commented, rubbing her arms. She frowned after a while. "…what's wrong?"

"Um…" Tachibana swallowed before gesturing for them to follow him. 

"Makoto?" Tohru trotted after him, her voice worried. Sousuke really didn't want to follow, but he didn't exactly have a choice.

The walk to their room wasn't long, probably not even five minutes. It wasn't like the inn itself was very large. Old-fashioned and small, it reminded Sousuke of those houses in horror movies, the ones that were cursed or haunted. From what he had heard from Rin, Tachibana was afraid of all things spooky and scary, but the captain seemed to be quite fine. He supposed he'd have to wait then, to see if Rin's gossip was true or not. 

Tachibana inserted the key he had gotten into the lock, opening the door. Strangely enough, the room looked more Western than the rest of the inn, though the bed was still lower than the one he had at home. Still, the room was small which was expected and had what actually looked like its own bathroom, which was even weirder, but Sousuke's gaze kept getting dragged to the bed for some reason. He frowned, squinting, before it finally clicked.

"There's only one bed!?" he and Tohru exclaimed. 

Sousuke turned to glare at Tachibana and found the slightly shorter boy blushing. 

"The proprietress called it the, um, h-honeymoon suite, actually…" he mumbled and honest to God his ears were just as red as his face. 

Sousuke just stared, unsure how to even react to that. Honeymoon suite? Was this some kind of sick joke? That damn senile old bat better have futons or something lying around because he was _not_ sharing a bed with Tohru _and_ Tachibana. Tohru by herself would be fine, he had done that numerous times when they were kids, but _Tachibana_? Nice or not, he still couldn't get over the fact that the ditz was dating his childhood friend. (He was a little blinded by his memories of a deadpan little girl, but Sousuke was overprotective by nature.)

He wondered if Tohru would notice if her boyfriend went missing during the night. Or if that would put too much suspicion onto himself. They were in a creepy ass inn off the beaten path in who knows where. That's how horror stories began and the clueless characters did tend to die early…

"Ah…AHCHOO!" Tohru sneezed, derailing his thoughts. 

Dropping his gaze from Tachibana's embarrassed face, Sousuke frowned at his childhood friend's shivering form. Unlike him and the Iwatobi captain, who both had track jackets on, Tohru was clad only in a T-shirt and cargo shorts. She rubbed her arms furiously and Sousuke felt his heart tighten. Worrying about a bed in comparison to his friend was ridiculous.

"We'll figure out the sleeping arrangements in a bit," he finally said, gently steering Tohru into the room. "You, however, need to get warmed up." 

The girl sniffled in response, groaning. "I don't have any other clothes, though. I left my bag with Kou-chan." 

Sousuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Does this place even have a dryer?"

"I can ask the proprietress," Tachibana offered. His footsteps got closer and then he was by Sousuke's side. "In the meantime, you could borrow one of our shirts." 

The dark-haired boy wasn't sure he wanted Tohru wearing another guy's shirt, but both he and Tachibana had their duffel bags and they couldn't very well let Tohru catch a cold. Sighing, he dropped his bag next to the bed before turning towards Tohru and Tachibana.

"Look through it, find something to wear," he said before heading towards the door. He heard a soft thump from behind him. 

"Ah, you can look at mine too," Tachibana added. Sousuke heard his footsteps hurry after him. "Yamazaki-kun, where are you going?"

"To ask that old biddy if she has a futon or something," he grumbled in response, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked over his shoulder, towards Tohru. "Be back in a bit." 

"I'll see if they have a dryer." Tachibana's voice was comforting and Sousuke might have grimaced at the sound. It did things to his chest and he did _not_ want to acknowledge how attractive Tohru's boyfriend was.

As the two boys left, Tohru called out, "Don't take too long." 

***

It didn't take them long at all. Makoto had received his desired knowledge, but Yamazaki...

The dark-haired swimmer scowled as they two of them returned to their room. Apparently, the inn had to get rid of their extra futons due to mold, but they did have extra blankets and quilts lying around. Makoto didn't think that would be very comfortable, but Yamazaki had jumped on it, demanding enough to make a makeshift futon. Despite his tone, which had the Iwatobi captain frowning, the old woman had just tittered and assured them that she would be around with blankets and a basket for their wet clothes. It was better than nothing, at least.

Still, Makoto wouldn't say he was thrilled to be spending the night in a creepy inn with Tohru's less than amicable friend. Sure, he was a guarantee that Makoto would be able to control himself because he did _not_ want Yamazaki glaring at or angry with him (the thought was _terrifying_ ), but Yamazaki's personality overall just...wasn't the best. At least not so much when it came to Makoto's team. He had only seen the other boy smile in regards to Samezuka or Tohru and Gou. Which meant it was probably going to be a long night. 

As they neared their door, Makoto pulled out his phone to check the signal, clicking his tongue when it flickered between one bar and none. So much for calling Haru or Rin to let them know what was going on. Hopefully Tohru or Yamazaki had service, even if it was only enough to send a message. 

"No signal?"

Makoto jumped at the voice, looking up sharply. Yamazaki stared at him impassively, a hand on the door to their room. His cheeks heated up, but Makoto wasn't sure if that was due to embarrassment or the fact that Yamazaki's rather nice teal eyes weren't leaving his face. His gaze was rather disconcerting, actually.

"A-Ah, not...not really," Makoto said nervously, smiling a bit. "It keeps flickering between no bars and one."

"I'll try calling Rin then." Yamazaki shrugged and opened the door, only to pause just beyond the threshold. 

Makoto almost ran into him, stopping short of stepping on the back of his shoes. The captain murmured an apology, but no response came from the other boy. Honestly, what was going on? They were both still damp and Makoto really wanted to take a shower and sleep. Yamazaki standing in front of the door for whatever reason wasn't helping anyone. 

Any other day, he would wait for the taller boy to move, but Makoto was wet and tired, so his normal generosity was lower than normal. Muttering another apology, he squeezed around Yamazaki's left. 

And froze.

Tohru was sitting on the bed, fiddling with her phone. That was all well and fine, but she had _both_ his and Yamazaki's team jackets on. The Iwatobi jacket was zipped up completely, all the way to her nose, and the Samezuka jacket hung from her shoulders like a cape. They were so _big_ on her. She was almost _swimming_ in them, as she kept flicking her hand occasionally to get the sleeve down enough for her to type on her phone. Her feet wiggled a bit.

His cheeks felt warm and he was ashamed to admit that saliva pooled in his mouth at the sight. He wanted to kiss her and cuddle her so badly. He wanted to hold her against himself all night so that he knew she was there, so that he could feel that she was there. But there was a very hard to ignore threat to his right that immediately dampened his fantasy when he sneezed.

"Makoto, Sousuke!" Tohru smiled brightly at them before gesturing to the bathroom. "Go get warmed up." 

The sleeve slid down to cover her hand as she gesticulated and Makoto had to pinch himself because seeing his girlfriend with moe sleeves must be a dream. Except it wasn't, especially when she waggled the sleeve when neither of them moved. It was hypnotizing. 

" _Fuck_ ," Yamazaki finally growled, hurriedly grabbing his bag and disappearing into the bathroom. 

Whatever spell Tohru had cast was destroyed by that unceremonious exit. Makoto breathed shakily, closing the door to regain his mind. The desire that had flooded him at the sight of her scared him. Cuddling, kissing, he was okay with that, but there was another, animalistic desire under those things, where he had just wanted Tohru under him. Grumpy or not, Makoto was so thankful that Yamazaki was there. If he hadn't been…Makoto wasn't sure what he would have done. 

His cheeks were still warm when he turned and found Tohru looking at him curiously. Despite the buzzing in his veins, he let himself smile and crossed the small room to stand before her. He cupped her cheek, heart beating erratically when she leaned against it and looked up at him with such loving eyes. Taking a breath, because Yamazaki couldn't be _that_ fast in the shower, Makoto leaned down to kiss Tohru. She eagerly responded, stretching towards him, and the soft connection of their lips melted his heart. He took a loud breath, blushing in embarrassment, and had to desperately keep the groan of need inside. 

She smelled of his shampoo, smelled of _him_ , wrapped in his jacket like a present. (He could ignore the black jacket on top. It would only take a brush of his fingers to push it off.) God, this was going to be so hard. He valiantly ignored the _other thing_ that was hard and thankfully he had a surefire boner killer just a door away.

Reluctantly, he pulled away and sighed. "It's been a weird day."

Tohru laughed, gently caressing his cheek. "It'll be a weirder night. Did you two get what you wanted?"

"Well…" Makoto couldn't help chuckling, straightening. "They do have a dryer. But no extra futons." 

"What are we going to do then?" she asked, frowning. She gently laced her fingers with his. 

"They do have blankets and quilts apparently. Yamazaki-kun asked for those."

A dark look descended on Tohru's face, making him stiffen. "Like _hell_ am I letting Sousuke sleep on the floor with only blankets and quilts as a bed. Not with his shoulder. If it comes to it, I'll sleep on the floor."

Makoto opened his mouth to respond, ready to say that _he_ didn't want _her_ to sleep on the floor, when a deep voice came from next to them. "I'm not sharing the bed with Tachibana." 

They maybe were talking five minutes, not even that. (Though Makoto would admit the kiss had distracted him.) There was no way Yamazaki could be done. And yet, there he was, towel around his neck and bag hanging from his left shoulder. He had a t-shirt and shorts on and Makoto couldn't help the shiver that went through him when the other boy passed him. He smelled really nice, woodsy and sharp, and Makoto struggled to find a response to his comment.

"Well, you're not sleeping on the floor!" Tohru scolded, standing. She clutched at the Samezuka jacket to keep it from falling. 

Yamazaki groaned in annoyance and Makoto bit his lip when he saw the other boy rub his shoulder. "I'll be fine." 

Fearing an argument, because Tohru looked mutinous and Yamazaki's eyes were narrowed, the Iwatobi captain stepped in. "Now, now. I can sleep on the floor. It's not a problem."

"Are you sure?" Tohru asked, looking worried. She frowned at him and he could see the unspoken question in her eyes.

Was he okay with her sleeping in a bed with another guy?

Well, it wasn't like they were going to have sex and Yamazaki didn't exactly show interest sexually or romantically to Tohru so Makoto wasn’t too worried. And he was sure that the two of them were used to sharing a bed together, so really, it would be fine. 

At least he hoped so. 

He plastered a smile onto his face. 

"It's okay," he assured her. He bent to pick up his bag. "Well, I'll take a sho—."

"Aren't you afraid of ghosts or something? Wouldn't sleeping in this _creepy, old inn_ alone freak you out?" 

Makoto wasn't sure how Yamazaki knew that, but he had a strong feeling Rin was to blame. Standing abruptly, his smile was brittle when he faced the taller boy, who was looking at him with an unimpressed leer. 

"D-Don't be silly, Y-Yamazaki-kun. I'll be fine," he stuttered before turning on his heel. "N-Now, excuse me." 

He made sure not to slam the bathroom door shut behind him. 

***

Tohru huffed, plopping back onto the bed. She frowned up at her childhood friend, arms behind her for balance.

"Was that necessary?" she asked, watching him turn away. "I don't want you sleeping on the floor."

"You're not my mother, Tohru," Sousuke retorted petulantly, balling up his wet clothes. "Besides, I doubt Tachibana is actually okay with us sleeping together."

"We've done that before," she countered. "How is this—?"

"Different?" 

The way Sousuke stood was too stiff, his muscles tense. It made Tohru nervous. For a moment, she realized that the boy she thought others were crazy for calling scary was actually intimidating. Even though she couldn't see his face. Even though all she could see were the tense muscles of his back. It was enough for her to realize that Sousuke was tall and muscular and so much bigger than her.

Her mouth felt dry when she uttered, "Yeah..." 

His clothes fell with a dull thud and he turned, his face set into a careful neutral. Still, Tohru knew Sousuke well enough to know the tiny indications for when he was annoyed. Like the taut edge of his jaw or the tendon visible in his neck (so much more so now then when they were children). In all her years, she had never been afraid of him, but when he closed the distance between them and loomed over her, her heart stuttered with fear for the first time. 

Her hands slipped and she fell back, a startled yelp leaving her mouth when Sousuke braced himself over top of her. The rhythm of her heart skipped, her face feeling hot as that cool stare tore through her. She felt extremely exposed under that gaze, like he could see every hidden thought and desire within her heart. She bit her lip before gasping when his knee pushed between hers to balance on the bed. Despite the fear in her heart, Tohru clutched at Sousuke's shirt in case the trembling right arm decided to give out. He was doing something to teach her a lesson, but even if he had succeeded in scaring her, she still was worried about him. 

"You need to be more cautious, Tohru," he murmured. His low rumble of a voice sent shivers through her and she was biting her lip again. "Just because you know someone as child, doesn't mean you know them now."

She swallowed, frowning. "But—."

"It's easy falling into a role you've played countless times," Sousuke continued, lowering both his voice and his head until their foreheads brushed, "but I'm not that little boy anymore. You should be more wary of being alone with me."

He moved his knee farther between her thighs. Her instinct was to close them, clamping around his leg, to prevent it from going any farther. She shuddered, startled by the sensation caused by her thighs tight against his. Her heart thudded. It actually felt...good.

"Ah...but..." She had to swallow, afraid her voice would trickle away into a breathy sigh. "But...S-Sousuke...y-you wouldn't do anything...r-right?"

His eyes widened and she didn't know what her face looked like, but he clicked his tongue angrily. She wanted to believe he wouldn't do anything because he was her precious friend, but her mind was on the sexual education booklet her mother had told her to read in the beginning of high school. Particularly the section on rape. Hadn't it said that a lot of victims were raped by someone they knew? It was a terrible way to do it, but Sousuke was probably trying to warn her about it. She hoped.

He sighed and lifted himself, rubbing his neck with a scowl. His knee remained on the bed, but this way Tohru was able to sit up and shimmy backwards. She sat, legs still stretched out, and pulled his Samezuka jacket tighter around her shoulders. 

Neither of them spoke. 

His eyes were averted away from her, his face twisted in an irritated frown. Her eyes remained on him, wary like he wanted, and she waited.

Another sigh left him and he glanced at her. "Sometimes I think you're too trusting."

She just blinked at him.

"Sorry."

"About what?" she asked. She ran her fingers over white trim of Makoto's jacket.

"For the...being wary thing," he grumbled. "I could have done it better."

"You could have." She nodded. "But I know I have to be cautious. I just...I feel safe around you...so I..."

Her voice trailed off and she was blinking hurriedly at her knees. Curling them closer to herself, she hugged them and tried to keep herself together. It wasn't wrong to feel safe around someone who had always protected you...right? It wasn't wrong to always think of them as a safe harbor. Even if...Even if they did abandon you once, even if they didn't realize you felt that way... 

Tohru refused to cry.

But her face and eyes felt hot and she could feel her fingers trembling. She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in her knees. Sousuke couldn't handle crying people, even though Rin the crybaby was his best friend. She didn't want to burden him anymore, so she would keep it in.

At least she wanted to until she felt the bed dip and a long arm tug her into a warm chest. She recognized the scent from the black jacket, though it was sharper than the dull woodsy undertones caught there. (And also had a significant lack of chlorine.)

"Hey. I'm sorry. I shouldn't...I was just worried," Sousuke murmured against her hair, gently rocking her. "I don't want you to get into a situation like that with someone you don't trust."

"I doubt I'd let myself be in a bedroom alone with someone I distrust," Tohru muttered and he squeezed her shoulders.

"You would be surprised..." he whispered before sighing. "Flower's right. You need to stop letting yourself be around wolves."

Laughter bubbled from her chest. "Are you calling my stupidly innocent boyfriend a wolf?"

"Thanks for not denying that I'm one," was the sarcastic response before devilish fingers were tickling her sides. "But yes. Your stupidly innocent boyfriend is _definitely_ a wolf. He froze when he saw you in our jackets just as much as I did."

Tohru laughed, twisting in his grip. "N-No way!"

"Oh yeah. Stiff as a board." His fingers didn't let up, moving up to her pits.

"Nooooo! Stooop!" she cried, wiggling away from him.

"What is going on?"

Tohru perked up, or at least tried to, still trying to escape Sousuke's fingers. "M-Ma—! Mako! Helppp!"

"Tachibana, tell her how much you _looove_ your jacket on her," Sousuke said, not relenting in his attack. "It's _so_ enticing, right?"

Tohru couldn't hear Makoto's response over her laughter and gasps, flailing her arms, though she could just imagine his cute embarrassed blush. Too bad she couldn't see it, not with her eyes tightly shut from her trying to breathe. Her chest was tight and her stomach hurt from laughter and Sousuke only stopped when she began wheezing. She lied on the bed, trying to catch her breath and giggling on occasion. It had been a while since she ended up like that from being tickled. Especially by Sousuke.

"Y-You...'re e...vil," she gasped, rolling to the other side of the bed. She had successfully cocooned herself in both team jackets. "Makoto, get vengeance for me!"

"I'm handicapped, though," Sousuke retorted and she couldn't help pouting at the grimace on her boyfriend's face.

Damn kind-hearted people.

...or not because Makoto dropped his bag and fluttered his fingers against Sousuke's neck. The taller boy yelped, cheeks flushing as he twisted away from the captain. He flopped on his back by the headboard, Makoto lunging forward for his stomach. Sousuke lifted his left arm to fend off the other boy, but Makoto's reach was just as long as his and his fingers danced across the dark-haired swimmer's stomach, making him yelp again and chuckles come unbidden. 

Tohru giggled at the combined weight of the two lifted her and she dug her elbow in to stop from rolling into the tangled mess that was Makoto and Sousuke. It was nice hearing Sousuke's laughter and it was even better seeing him interacting surprisingly well with her boyfriend. He had seemed so displeased earlier, but now Sousuke was wriggling underneath Makoto and retaliating whenever he could. It made her heart soar.

One of them moved and with a surprised squeak, Tohru tumbled into the mess. Both boys froze, panting, before Makoto collapsed on her other side with a laugh. 

"You're all cocooned," he remarked, turning on his side to poke at her. 

She wiggled indignantly. She didn't know where the front of the Samezuka jacket went. "It was the only means of escape!"

"Oh? You seem to be in prime tickling position to me," Sousuke commented.

Tohru wondered how horrified she looked because he burst into laughter. Huffing, she buried deeper into the jackets. He wasn't allowed to look so handsome when he was threatening devilishness on her.

"...oh..." Makoto breathed behind her and Tohru peeked out to see his face. He looked stunned before blushing at her curious gaze.

Before she could question him, there was a knock on the door. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me longer to post than it should've. But here's the final part! Please enjoy! :)

At the sound of knocking, Sousuke's laughter died down. Still, he could feel the smile on his face and the warmth from his laughter remained in his chest. It felt like it had been years since he had last felt like this. He leaned up onto his left elbow, looking towards the door curiously.

"That must be the old biddy with the blankets," he commented, frowning slightly at the weird irritation in his chest. Odd.

"So rude," Tohru muttered and she bumped against his arm, making him grin again.

She really was in prime tickling position...

"I'll get it!" Tachibana announced in a higher voice than normal, breaking Sousuke's concentration.

The Iwatobi captain all but leapt off the bed and hurried over to the door, his back rim rod straight. Sousuke raised an eyebrow at the retreat. The odd irritation in his chest swirled more and he really couldn't pinpoint why or what was causing it. After all, he was actually enjoying himself not ten seconds ago, even if he still thought Tachibana unfit to be Tohru's boyfriend.

Eyelids lowering, the teal-eyed swimmer sat with hum. Being at the inn was a mistake, mostly on the part of inconsideration from the bus driver, and yet he found himself strangely...happy. At first, the situation had only annoyed him, but now...the tickle fight had been spontaneous because he needed Tohru to know he was sorry. He just hadn't expected responsible Tachibana to join. Sousuke hummed again.

"Here you go, dear," he heard the old bird say, followed by Tachibana's gratitude. "Oh, no worries, no worries. Well, I'll just take your wet clothes and throw them in the dryer, hm? Can't have you leave with wet clothes, can we?"

"Ah, thank you very much," Tachibana said. Sousuke could _hear_ the warm smile on his face.

Once the brunet swimmer had collected all their clothes and had given them to the old woman, she tittered and left. The door clacked shut and with it, the atmosphere suddenly changed in the room. It felt almost mucky, awkward, and tense. Sousuke considered Tachibana, who stood by the door with the blankets he had asked for.

Ah, right. That explained the awkwardness.

"Give me those, Tachibana," Sousuke demanded with a yawn, standing. He walked to the end of the bed, rubbing his neck with his left hand.

Tachibana looked uncertain, a surprising intense look in his eyes. The sight sent pleasant chills down Sousuke's spine, so much so that he had to force himself from sizing up the other boy. Tachibana was around his height and he had seen him stretching before...

"W-We can all fit on the bed!" Tohru suddenly spoke up and Sousuke turned to find her finally unraveling herself from his jacket. Her cheeks were flushed. "I-I mean, j-just now all of us...um...t-the bed isn't...isn't that small..."

Sousuke didn't know about Tachibana, but his childhood friend's red cheeks and her averted, shy eyes broke down his defenses before he could even fathom a denial. Because she was right, the bed _was_ large enough to fit the three of them, especially with his and Tachibana's builds. It was just... _sharing_ a bed with _Tachibana_. Admittedly he wasn't as averse to the thought as he was earlier, which he blamed on Tohru, but that didn't mean he really _wanted_ to.

Tachibana shifted next to him, the blankets rustling in his arms. The taller boy glanced at him. There was a slight flush on his face, but Tachibana looked as uncertain as he felt. At least he wasn't the only one feeling that, though he probably also wasn't the only one affected by Tohru's cute blushing face.

"I...I don't know..." Tachibana murmured and he looked towards Sousuke. He jumped when he saw that the teal-eyed swimmer was also looking at him.

With a sigh, the taller boy turned back to Tohru and crossed his arms. "It's not that big."

Tohru's lip wobbled a little and Sousuke cringed. Fearing that she might start crying, he took a step forward, his arms uncrossing and lifting. He didn't know about Tachibana, but he could _not_ stand tears, especially from his childhood friends. It was a wonder, considering Rin was a huge crybaby, but Sousuke had not developed the necessary skills to handle crying people.

"I, um, I would...f-feel better with...b-both of you nearby," Tohru mumbled, wringing the hem of Tachibana's jacket. "It's...kinda creepy here..."

In that moment, Sousuke knew that Tachibana was won over. The other boy dropped the blankets and hurried to his girlfriend's side, nuzzling her cheek and murmuring what Sousuke only assumed was reassurances. He wanted to think the captain soft, but he knew that he too was swayed by Tohru's cute performance. He just...wasn't going to admit that. Not aloud at the very least.

He frowned, crossing his arms again, and turned his head away from the affections going on in front of him. It left a hollow feeling in his chest and he didn't know why.

"It's just one night, Yamazaki-kun," Tachibana said.

Sousuke reluctantly turned back to him and, for some reason, his heart leapt into his throat at the sight of Tohru and Tachibana curled together. Tachibana had his cheek against Tohru's hair and both were looking at him. He could see Tohru's fingers curled in the other boy's sleeve, clinging to him tightly. They were adorable.

And he wanted them.

_Both_ of them.

He wasn't sure _how_ he wanted them, but he did.

However, before he could figure out a response, before he could name that want in his gut, a jingly noise cut through the quiet tension. Sousuke dropped his gaze to his feet, where a pale green phone was ringing.

"Oh!" The bed creaked and Tohru lurched into his field of vision. "That's Rin's ringtone!"

"You have service?" Tachibana asked as the brunette girl put the phone to her ear.

"Hello? Rin?" she greeted, but the hopeful glow in her expression quickly went out. She pulled her phone from her ear and stared at it, frowning. "It's just static."

Sousuke had seen enough horror films to know where that could go and from the high squeak from Tachibana, the Iwatobi captain knew too. He wouldn't really entertain such ideas like the plots of horror movies, but the inn was too creepy and too out of the way for him not to play it safe. Sousuke reached over and tapped the End Call button on Tohru's phone, shivering when, just for a moment, what sounded like a moan had risen from the device. Like hell was he going to play with spirits tonight.

Glancing up at his childhood friend, her wide eyes told him that she too had heard the almost moan. Those hazel depths wavered, looking almost shiny, and he sighed heavily. He would be lying if he said he wasn't still iffy about sharing a bed, but he would grudgingly admit that he too was creeped out by the inn. Sharing a bed for one night wouldn't be _too_ bad.

"Tohru sleeps between us," Sousuke said, lifting his gaze to Tachibana. The other boy looked surprised before nodding quickly.

"All right. Ah, I mean, if Tohru is okay with that," he said, dropping his eyes to her.

Despite the mysterious moan and the static on her phone, Tohru gave Sousuke a wide grin. He almost wished she was still scared, if only because that expression didn't cause heat to rise in his cheeks. He rubbed his neck. Ah, well, a smile looked better on her anyway. And if him sharing a bed with her and her boyfriend made her smile like that, he guessed he could share it for a night.

***

After coming to a decision on the whole sharing a bed or not thing, they had sat around and chatted for a bit. Well, Tohru and Makoto had. Yamazaki added his two cents every so often, but for the most part remained stretched out next to Tohru, his right arm over his stomach and his left under head. After a while, the conversation ran dry, thinned out by the spooky atmosphere of the inn. Tohru played awkwardly with the sleeves of the Samezuka jacket, squishing the ends together. Yamazaki was silent and Makoto wondered if he was already asleep. If he was, it was awfully early to go to sleep.

When Makoto had checked his phone for service earlier, it had said that it was only six-thirty. That much time hadn't really passed between then and now, so it had to be at least seven. Except when Makoto checked his phone again (mostly as a distraction), he was startled to find that somehow _three whole hours_ had passed. The digital clock read 21:45.

"It's… _nine-forty-five_?" Makoto asked in disbelief, staring at his phone.

He and Tohru hadn’t been talking that long. Their conversation wasn't exactly that engaging enough, both of them a little…cautious considering the tall figure lounging on the other side of his girlfriend.

"What?" Tohru stared at him, her mouth dropping open in shock.

Yamazaki sat up next to her and pulled out his own phone. "Bullshit."

"Apparently not," Tohru breathed, taking Makoto's offered phone. She frowned. "But…we haven't really…"

"What the _fuck_?" the Samezuka swimmer hissed. He looked agitated and maybe a little worried. At least if Makoto was reading him well enough. "What kind of anime bullshit is this?"

"More like _Spirited Away_ ," Tohru responded. She winced when she caught Makoto's expression. "Sorry."

To say he was afraid would be an exaggeration, but Makoto was definitely uncomfortable. Spending a night with Tohru's attractive but emotionally stunted childhood friend aside, the inn just made his skin crawl and the fact that there was only static on Tohru's phone earlier didn't sit well with him. Now that three hours had passed inexplicably, he might be letting a _little_ bit of fear color his expression. But just a tiny amount because he wanted to be strong for Tohru since she too said she was disturbed by the inn. He didn't always want to be the scared friend, the one who shivered behind everyone else despite him being the biggest. Tohru deserved more than that, deserved better. Deserved someone who didn't waver when faced with a creepy inn, whose response to misplaced hours was annoyance and not fear. Someone like Yamazaki.

Makoto swallowed before rubbing his cheeks. Letting his insecurity out _now_ would hardly help anything and besides, he didn't _want_ to be like Yamazaki. He didn't want to be that friend who lost contact and then just…waltzed back in with a hidden injury that just caused his friends even more hurt. Maybe that was unfair to the taller boy, but Makoto was very loyal to his friends and he remembered all too well the trembling of Tohru's hands when she held him and cried, sobbing her fears to him after the regional tournament.

"Oi. Tachibana." A large hand grabbed his shoulder.

Startled, Makoto looked up to find Yamazaki leaning over Tohru. The taller boy actually looked a little worried, though he could be mistaking that for irritation. His lips were turned down in a heavy frown, those teal eyes scrutinizing him. He wasn't entirely sure why, but in the moment, Makoto felt small.

"Y-Yes?" he asked, biting his lip at the wobbliness of his voice.

Tohru reached a hand for his and Makoto gratefully intertwined their fingers together. He didn't know what Yamazaki wanted, but he was going to take whatever comfort he could in this creepy as hell inn.

Those teal eyes softened and that did things to Makoto's stomach. The usually dour swimmer's voice was gentle when he said, "You were shaking pretty badly. Are you okay now?"

Heat flooded his cheeks and the green-eyed boy looked down. "A-Ah, I didn't realize… Y-Yeah, I'm okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tohru asked, squeezing his hand. Makoto gave her a small smile.

"No, it's okay. I'm okay now," he said before glancing back at Yamazaki. He bit his lip. "Um, sorry about that."

The other boy snorted, returning to his original position. "I already know you can't handle creepy stuff. Rin can't shut up about you Iwatobians."

"Don't you mean Rin can't shut up about Haru?" Makoto couldn't help joking, his lips quirking a little.

For a moment, he thought he might have said something wrong because Yamazaki's mouth pressed into a tight line. He started to panic when the other boy didn't say anything right away, worried that maybe he had struck a nerve. Tohru dug her elbow into Yamazaki's side and the taller boy wiggled away with an irritated growl of her name. But then he glanced up at Makoto and he sighed with a shake of his head and a small, rueful smile.

"Yeah, definitely can't shut up about Nanase," he murmured before clearing his throat. "But he still talks about the rest of you."

Hoping to keep the other boy in a decent mood, Makoto said, "Rin…Rin's talked about you too. L-Like how you two are really close, almost like the same person. Ah, alter egos is what he said."

"Alter egos, huh? Sounds like him," Yamazaki laughed lightly, shaking his head. He peered curiously at Makoto. "…you distracted yourself enough yet?"

"Huh?" A smile froze on Makoto's face.

"Sousuke," Tohru scolded.

"He's not shaking anymore," Yamazaki pointed out, nodding towards Makoto. He frowned at him. "…or not."

The tremors came unbidden and Makoto hated himself for so easily letting the fear flood his veins. There was nothing noticeably scary about the inn. Besides being secluded and old and the missing hours. But there wasn't anything readily available for him to visibly shake from it. And he had just been easily chatting with Yamazaki, even if his conversation partner needed prodding from Tohru. Makoto didn't need to be afraid.

And yet... He felt almost helpless from the fear. Despite everything, despite it having nothing to do with their current situation, dark memories bubbled up in the back of his mind. Memories of feeling helpless in a different situation, of large creatures that lurked in dark depths. His throat felt dry and sticky and tight.

Before the memories could envelop him, though, he felt himself tugged forward. The next thing he knew his nose was pressed into the collar of his jacket and arms were wrapped around his neck. His cheeks heated up in realization that his body was pinning Tohru's down and he could _feel_ the heat of Yamazaki's gaze burning a hole between his shoulder blades. He squeaked and moved his hands to brace himself against the bed on either side of his girlfriend.

"It's okay, Makoto," Tohru murmured, her voice low and soothing. She nuzzled his head as if her childhood friend wasn't _inches_ from them. "You're safe. I'm safe. We'll be okay. _You'll_ be okay."

His body relaxed at her soothing tone and familiar scent, melting against her. Cautiously, he moved his arm around the back of her right shoulder in a sort of one armed hug. Just her murmuring those words to him made him feel so much better. It reminded him of the time he first went to the beach with her. Haru, of course, had come along and the twins were there too, but when Makoto had gone into the ocean with only Tohru, a startling sense of ease came over him when she had told him that she was there. Right now had a similar feel to that time and he breathed shakily, closing his eyes.

He hoped Yamazaki would let him savor this moment. Just…for a few minutes at least. It would be the least the other boy could do.

Surprisingly, Makoto did get to experience the warm embrace of Tohru for a few minutes before he got a jab in his side. He jumped, another squeak escaping him.

" _Sousuke_." Tohru clicked her tongue angrily.

Swallowing, Makoto peeked over his girlfriend's bicep at her childhood friend. The Samezuka swimmer looked a little…nervous, for lack of better terms, his mouth twisted and his eyes averted from them.

"I'm afraid of spiders," he suddenly said and for a moment, Makoto was confused.

But then his eyes widened and he felt himself smile despite the almost sullen look on Yamazaki's face. What a cute way to apologize.

"Did Rin kill all the spiders when you were kids?" he couldn't help asking.

Yamazaki rewarded him with a small smile, teal eyes suddenly glittering. "Actually…"

"I killed the spiders," Tohru said, running her fingers through Makoto's hair. He could hear the grin in her voice. "Rin was always too busy searching for them."

"He was a brat," Yamazaki said fondly. He offered another tentative smile before he looked away and rubbed his neck. "Sorry."

"Mm…it's okay," Makoto responded. He couldn't help rubbing his nose against Tohru's shoulder. "Am I squishing you?"

His girlfriend hummed. "A little."

"Ah, let me get off you then," he said, moving to lift himself.

His girlfriend tightened her hold a moment, encouraging the rapid beating of his heart, before she released him with a sigh. Makoto lifted himself, returning to his original sitting position. He smiled at the cute huff from Tohru, letting himself feel a little more at ease when her arms flopped out. Each of her hands hit one of the boys, her left landing on Makoto's thigh and her right landing on top of Yamazaki's left fist.

The taller boy snorted and sat up so that he was more hunched over and less leaning on his arm. He played with Tohru's fringe, grinning as the girl wrinkled her nose.

"All right. Let's head to bed," he commented, glancing up at Makoto. "I kinda want to get up as soon as possible to get out of this place."

"I second that," Makoto agreed with a shiver.

"Good. And don't worry. Busted shoulder or not, I think I'm more than capable of scaring the ghosts away," Yamazaki commented, tilting his head back.

Makoto couldn't help the blush that heated his cheeks at that. He wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or the welcome image of tall, strong Yamazaki as a knight in shining armor.

***

Unbelievably, they slept through the entire night with no incident. The only disturbance was Tohru discovering just how hot it got when one slept between two large muscular boys, which had led to her shedding Makoto's track jacket. There had been a moment of panic when she had sat up and done so, both boys slurring something about controlling herself, but Tohru had also put on Makoto's orange and yellow t-shirt when she had changed earlier. So when she tugged off the team jacket, she was still dressed underneath.

She had been utterly confused at their sleepy sighs of relief, but had willingly returned to sleeping curled in Makoto's embrace with her fingers clutching the material of Sousuke's shirt. After all, she felt very safe between them and once she no longer had the track jacket, she felt much more comfortable.

Morning found her still in Makoto's embrace, but at some point in the night she had turned over because Sousuke was spooning her with his nose buried in her hair. She blinked blearily at her boyfriend's collarbone, feeling strangely rested, if not over rested, and hot. Her skin felt somewhat sticky from sweat, which she could only guess was because of the two living space heaters that currently had her in their embrace. She wiggled a little, finding herself trapped by an arm around her waist and another curled around her shoulders. Even her legs were trapped, as Sousuke had thrown his leg over hers sometime in the night and now his thigh rested tightly against hers and his heel was between her feet. That just made everything more awkward because Tohru could also feel Makoto's thigh against hers and it was his arm that was around her waist. The arm on her shoulders turned out to be Sousuke's bad arm.

In that moment, she realized just how heavy Makoto and Sousuke actually were.

She squirmed, trying to get her shoulders free, but only succeeded in garnering two annoyed grumbles. The arm on her waist tightened, fingers curling in the back of her shirt, while the arm on her shoulders shifted a little lower. Resettled, both boys' breathing evened out back into sleep.

They were still heavy as hell.

Tohru wondered if it would be bad to try and tickle Makoto, as she had her hands curled between their chests and she couldn't reach any of Sousuke's ticklish places with the way his arm settled just above her elbows. Then again, if she considered Ran and Ren, Makoto probably wasn't all that ticklish. There went that plan and she would very much like to wake them up because she didn't want to stay any longer in the inn. No matter how comfortable she was in their embrace. And that meant desperate measures.

Hoping that Makoto would forgive her, Tohru leaned forward as much as she could and bit his collarbone. Not especially hard, of course, because she didn't want to hurt him, but it was hard enough to jolt him.

Makoto practically shot out of the bed, falling ungracefully over the side with a weird combination of a squawk and what might have been a moan. The jostling of his fall, as well as the sound and his arm violently leaving Tohru's waist, woke up Sousuke, who sat up just as quick with a confused sounding curse.

Tohru pressed her hands to her mouth, trying to keep her giggles inside. They bubbled out anyway when she said, "S-Sorry, Makoto."

Her boyfriend groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He pouted at her, though his cheeks had a lovely blush. She tried not to wiggle excitedly at the red mark that was on his collarbone under his left shoulder. For some reason, she liked seeing him with a mark that she had made.

"Was that necessary?" Makoto whined and Tohru wondered a moment at the roughness and lowness of his morning voice. Her cheeks felt warm.

Clearing her throat, she sat up with a stretch and reached high above her. She whined a little before she was able to respond. The blush was still very much present on Makoto's face when she returned her gaze to him.

"You guys weren't waking up," she responded and shrugged. "Drastic measures had to be taken."

"What did you do?" Sousuke asked and Tohru tried desperately not to shiver at his rough and deep tired voice.

His voice was deep normally. His morning voice was _ridiculous_. Were all guys' voices like that in the morning? And why was _Sousuke's_ affecting her?

"She bit me!" Makoto sounded scandalized, though his blush deepened the moment the words were out of his mouth.

"Tohru, you are almost eighteen years old, not three. We use our words," her childhood friend chastised sternly.

Tohru pouted up at him. "You two sleep like the dead. Didn't we say we wanted to leave as soon as we could?"

"How do you have such a good internal clock?" Sousuke grumbled as he got off the bed. He stretched himself and Tohru marveled at the way the fabric of his shirt stretched over his muscles as he did so. "Ugh, but you have a point."

He rotated his right shoulder carefully, not turning to face them, but Tohru knew he had winced by the way his fingers twitched for a brief second. She frowned and shared a concerned glance with Makoto.

Despite such a rude awakening, her boyfriend didn't seem to hold it against her. His expression was just as concerned as hers was about her childhood friend. He unconsciously rubbed the mark on his chest, standing up with his own stretch and groan before addressing Sousuke.

"Yamazaki-kun, is your shoulder all right?" he asked and his voice still held the roughness of sleep.

Sousuke shivered for some reason, but he turned his head to the side just enough to indicate that he had heard him. His hand dropped from his shoulder as he shrugged them.

"It's just stiff," he said, finally turning around. He crossed his arms and his eye twitched in a suppressed wince. Tohru narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Sousuke, I am well aware you are not as fine as you're saying you are," she warned. She patted the bed next to her. "Come here."

A rebellious frown curved down his mouth and those bright eyes narrowed back at her. He shifted his stance, just a bit broader, just a bit taller.

"No."

"Stop being stubborn! Let me give you a quick massage and then we can leave, all right?" Tohru snapped, not at all in the mood for an argument. Especially not when his voice was still deep (or deeper) from sleep and she could remember the feel of him pressed against her back.

"Do we even have time for that?" Sousuke grumbled, though he took a step forward.

"Unless you want to share a shower with me or Makoto," she remarked with a roll of her eyes.

She tried not to blush at the thought of either of them pressed naked against her. That was just... _lewd_...and she really didn't want to think about it.

"I'm not sharing a shower with Tachibana/Yamazaki-kun!" both boys cried and Tohru couldn't help giggling.

The shower in the inn wasn't that big; _she_ had had enough room to maneuver, but she was sure that the boys had a harder time. Seeing as they were both so tall and broad, there would be no way for both of them to fit together in there.

Actually, she probably couldn't fit with one of them in the shower, either. She wasn't that small, for one thing, so combined with a large boy and a somewhat squished shower, it would be a very tight and intimate fit. She was definitely not ready for something like that with Makoto and like hell was she going to do that with Sousuke. Even if her stomach did buzz at the thought.

"I don't take showers in the morning anyway," Sousuke continued, but by then he had obediently sat in front of Tohru.

Her hands went to work on his shoulder, being careful of the swelling of his tendonitis and whatever else was wrong. From the abuse he put it through, she had to assume the tendon might actually have torn by now. Still, she kneaded his muscles carefully and a low groan sounded from his throat.

The blush couldn't be fought.

"You don't?" she asked in distraction to her own impure thoughts.

"I don't either," Makoto chimed in. He sat next to her. "It's easier to wash up in the morning and then shower later."

"Ah, because the chlorine. Right."

Tohru nodded. She ran her palm carefully over the joint of Sousuke's shoulder, cupping it just so and rubbing a little. A hiss followed the action and she moved more cautiously, kneading up towards his neck before going down his shoulder blade. She returned to his shoulder with more cautious kneading.

"You're...the only one...who showers in the morning...Tohru," Sousuke murmured, his head dropping the more she continued working on his shoulder. He purred softly.

There were quite a few knots as Tohru switched shoulders to his good one. She frowned down at his back, digging the heel of her palm into one to work it out. Sousuke stiffened in response and she swatted his left shoulder.

"Relax," she commanded and went back to work on the knots in his muscles. "You're so stiff and you have a lot of knots."

"I wonder why..."

It was a little surprising that it was Makoto who mumbled that, but a surprised snort escaped Sousuke. His shoulders relaxed a little, but Tohru figured that was the best she was going to get. She worked diligently and carefully, taking moments to massage a particular spot until she was satisfied that the knot she found was gone.

This continued for several minutes and Tohru found herself smiling a little. She liked giving massages and it was a familiar experience. There were quite a few days in early middle school where she found herself in a very similar situation. After all, she had given quite a few shoulder massages to her father for the very same reason she was giving one to Sousuke now. 

"There. How do you feel?" Tohru asked when she was satisfied she had done a decent job. She sat back on her heels as Sousuke rolled his shoulders.

"Like I could fall asleep," was the low response, punctuated by a loud yawn.

"No, no! Wake up, Sousukeee!" Tohru whined, leaning against his back. He laughed at her and she pouted. "Ugh. Makoto! Make sure this muscle head doesn't fall asleep! I'm going to take a shower."

Tohru had forgotten that she didn't have her clothes with her until she was in the middle of lathering up her body with Makoto's wonderful smelling soap. She cursed softly, watching the suds slide off her, and hurried through her routine. Her hair was still wet when she slid into the clothes she had borrowed from her boyfriend: the orange and yellow shirt and a pair of boxer briefs because she refused to go commando.

Grumbling, she padded into the main room and was startled to see the basket of their clothes by the door. That hadn't been there when she went into the bathroom. She was sure of it.

She frowned.

"When did our clothes get here?" she asked, startling Makoto and Sousuke who looked to be scrutinizing the basket with the same uncertainty as her.

"Ah...it just...it appeared when you went into the shower," Makoto explained, smiling shakily. He looked a little pale.

Sousuke looked much better, though his jaw was tense and a glower sat on his face. "I say we leave now."

"Ah, l-let me get dressed then," Tohru said, agreeing whole-heartedly on leaving immediately.

She was the first one to approach the basket, carefully lifting her clothes. There didn't seem to be anything wrong, though they smelled a little like honeysuckle. Everything was in order: her t-shirt was there, as was her shorts, bra, panties, and socks. Still, she could literally feel how tense the two swimmers were behind her as she ran her hands over her clothes. She shrugged and turned.

Both Makoto and Sousuke were watching her closely, concerned looks on their faces. Despite the tension in the air, she couldn't help appreciating their bedhead and rumpled sleep clothes. She could definitely get used to seeing them like that.

"Tohru?" Makoto asked softly, holding out his hand. "Is everything...?"

Tohru smiled and gently took his offered hand. "It's fine. They're just clothes."

"I feel like there's a story about clothes and possession somewhere," Sousuke muttered.

Makoto stiffened.

Frowning, Tohru wagged her finger at her childhood friend. "No more talk of spooky stories. Let's get dressed and _go._ "

With that, she scurried into the bathroom to change. Her clothes felt nice and warm and normal, just like freshly washed clothes were supposed to. There was nothing wrong with them, which she demonstrated for Makoto and Sousuke by holding out her arms and spinning for them.

Neither boy had touched the clothes, but when they saw that she was otherwise fine, they took turns getting dressed and freshened up in the bathroom. It surprisingly took them very little time, though their hair was damp when each left the bathroom. Once everyone was properly attired and they had frowned at the way their muddy and wet shoes were weirdly dry and clean, the three of them left the room.

Makoto kept hold of Tohru's hand as he led the way and she couldn't help the soft smile at the contact. She kind of wished she had reached back and had taken Sousuke's hand, but his hands were shoved in his pants' pockets when she had looked at him. Ah, well, Makoto's hand was warm enough and she squeezed it encouragingly when they stopped at the front desk.

The proprietress smiled serenely at them. "Leaving so soon?"

"Ah, yes. We have to meet up with our friends at our hotel," Makoto explained with a smile. "Your hospitality was a blessing, though. Thank you for letting us stay the night."

"Ah, no. It was nice having young people at this old inn again," the proprietress responded with a small laugh. She waved a knobby hand when Makoto moved to grab his wallet. "I could hardly take your money."

"That's poor business practice, grandma," Sousuke spoke up.

Tohru winced and leered at him, but the old woman only laughed again.

"I suppose so, my grumpy boy, but letting an old woman cater to such fine young people is more than enough pay," she said. She winked at Tohru, who felt her cheeks warm, before she gestured for them to go. "You said people are waiting for you, so shoo, shoo!"

Tohru didn't feel right leaving without paying, but she had a sinking suspicion that if they didn't go now, they might never go. So she tugged on Makoto's hand and grabbed Sousuke's duffel bag and pulled them towards the entrance. She smiled nonetheless at the proprietress and, with one foot securely in the entrance, called back to her.

"Have a nice day!" she said and then tugged the boys outside.

Sunlight blinded her for a moment, making her squeeze her eyes shut to let the pain pass. From the grunt and gasp next to her, she wasn't the only one experiencing that. It almost felt like she was suspended somewhere in bright harsh light before the sound of a truck roared in her ears and cicadas screamed relentlessly.

Blinking open her eyes, Tohru was shocked to find herself on the side of the road just in front of the gates to the hotel they were staying at. Her head spun and so did she, whipping around to see only forest stretching behind her. A chill worked its way up her spine despite the morning's warmth.

Makoto whined next to her, his palm clammy when she grabbed his hand.

"Um...so...did we...?" she began, looking between Makoto and Sousuke with wide eyes.

Makoto looked like he might faint. Sousuke looked like he had eaten something rotten.

"Don't say ittt," her boyfriend whimpered, shaking his head. He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead. "I have a headache..."

They stood silently for several minutes, just taking in what had happened, when a loud ringing echoed around them. Both Tohru and Makoto jumped, the former whipping towards her childhood friend. With everything that had happened, she could really do without that. Especially when her 183 centimeter boyfriend huddled behind her with a whine.

Sousuke dug his phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen before putting it to his ear with a sigh.

"Ri—," he began, but was cut off by loud shouting that even Tohru could make out without it being on speaker phone.

_"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? I KNOW YOUR SENSE OF DIRECTION IS FUCKING SHIT, BUT YOU'VE BEEN GONE A WHOLE DAY AND A HALF!"_ Rin's voice roared, panicked and angry. _"I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF YOU AND YOU FUCKING ANSWER ME_ NOW _!?"_

"Rin, calm down," Sousuke grumbled, wincing.

_"CALM DOWN? CALM_ DOWN _!? YOU, TOHRU, AND MAKOTO ARE MISSING AND YOU FUCKING WANT ME TO_ CALM DOWN _!?"_

"Rin! We're with Sousuke!" Tohru called, pulling Sousuke's phone towards herself. The tirade cut off abruptly. "We, uh, we all got lost and had to stay the night at an inn."

_"...you've been gone two nights, though,"_ Rin responded, sounding confused. The chill returned. _"What did you guys do? Sleep in the forest?"_

"S-Something like that..." Tohru murmured, swallowing thickly. "We...We're just outside the hotel. We'll see you in a bit, Rin."

_"You better not fucking get lost again,"_ Rin growled before ending the call.

Tohru stared at Sousuke's phone for a long minute, afraid to meet the gazes of either of the boys with her. Because she wasn't sure she wanted to admit to what had happened.

Had they actually...?

"I wonder if the hotel has a breakfast bar."

The brunette girl jumped, gaping at Sousuke. Her friend had turned towards the hotel, hands shoved in his pockets. When neither she nor Makoto responded, the taller boy tilted his head towards them with a lifted eyebrow.

Ah.

Now she understood.

"I-I hope so! An omelet right now would be great," Tohru said, tugging Makoto forwards. "That would be nice, right? Makoto?"

"I…uh…" Her boyfriend sounded confused before he said sheepishly, "I could go for a traditional breakfast right now, actually."

"They might have one."

"Or Haru-kun could sneak into the kitchen and make it for you!"

Makoto laughed, a warm, happy noise that washed over Tohru and calmed her to the core. She smiled softly, glancing towards Sousuke to see his response. He too had a small smile on his face, but his eyes faced forwards. Somehow, that was fitting. He was always looking forwards, wasn't he?

Tohru took the opportunity to grab his hand, securing him into the present with her and Makoto. She blissfully ignored the way his fingers twitched in surprise before they curled around hers. Both their hands were so warm and she found herself selfishly wanting to have both of them always by her side. How silly and childish of her! Ah, well. She'd let herself indulge in that selfishness, if only for the rest this trip.

As scary as it had been, she was going to savor that night in that spooky old inn.

 

_ Bonus _ :

"You WHAT!?" the young onibaba screeched, slamming her hands down on the table. She stared down at her grandmother, who quietly sipped her tea. "Grandmama!"

"They were so cute, though!" her grandmother whined. "Like how caring the grumpy boy became when he saw that he had upset the pretty girl! Ah, but the polite boy was also very cute when it came to the pretty girl."

"Grandmama, this is the third time you've let our dinner get away!"

"Ah, but it was so cute when they all snuggled together~."

"Grandmama!"

**Author's Note:**

> What is that rapping at my chamber door?


End file.
